When it comes to the safety and security of your employees, there is nothing better and more effective than a well-executed workplace safety program. These are often mandatory when an employee joins a business, and training needs to take place before the employee can begin. Yet, not all workplace safety program guidelines or processes are created equal; in fact, some are so archaic that their value should be questioned.

Can your employees refer back to training materials even after training is done?

Your program should continue for as long as your employees are with your company. So, your training materials should be made available to employees 24/7, 365. Making them available online is easiest and most cost-effective.

2. Set-up automated reminders so no certificate is ever missed.

With training programs comes the need to track and ensure compliance. It’s important to never skip on required certifications, especially if employees are on a construction site. Set-up automated reminders so you’ll never forget. Easy project management!

3. Move away from the classroom.

Did you know? Based on student feedback, classes with traditional, lecture-based classes are more likely to fail by 1 ½ times than courses based in more active learning methods.

For your safety program, consider moving away from the classroom. Have your training program delivered online, or in a virtual setting.

4. Ask yourself – is it fun?

If you’ve gone through the program and aren’t enjoying yourself, how will your employees?

Consider running a small test group through your program first, before launching it company-wide, and make changes based on engagement metrics.

5. Tie a reward into your workplace safety program.

There should be an incentive for completing the program, beyond simply “doing your job”.

Maybe you’ll reward a gift card to the top-performing employee for new trainees every few months, or perhaps you’ll give one paid day off per year to everyone who participates. Whatever the case, rewards make a huge difference in both participation and compliance.

The effectiveness of a workplace safety program can be tremendous if it’s planned and launched well. This week, we encourage you to review your own and make necessary changes – making it bigger and better than ever!